Conveyer for shoe factories



Oct. 23, 1934. P. MATTLER 1,917,732

CONVEYER FOR SHOE FACTORIES Filed Nov. 18,1932; -:s Sheets-Shut '1 FIGI. 23 A FIGS. "i f 23, 1934. l MATTLER CONVEYEH F013 SHOE FACTQRIES Filed Nov. 18. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 23, 1934. P. MATTLER CONVEYER FOR SHOE FACTORIES Filed Nov. 18. 1932 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Got. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES CONVEYER FOR SHOE FACTORIES Peter Mattlcr, St. Louis, Mo., a'ssignor, by mesne assignments, to The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 18, 1932, Serial No. 643,186

2Claims.

This invention relates to conveyers, and with regard to certain more specific features, to conveyers for shoe lasts, shoes, and the like.

Among the several objects oi the invention may 8 be noted the provision of a conveyer for shoe to prevent jamming; the provision oi! a device of the class described which shall diiterentiate in its delivery between different classes of articles placed therein; and the provision of a device of the class described which is relatively simple in construction and operation. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinatter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the working parts of the apparatus, casing parts being removed for purposes of better illustration;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of Fig. 1, parts being broken away to show detail;

Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the upper end oi. the apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 01 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 3; and,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of an automatic stop mechanism.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

' Referring now more particularly to Fig.1, there is illustrated at numeral 1 the lower one of'a pair of sprockets which are held in the adjustable bearing blocks 3 (Fig. 2). Over the sprockets l are positioned a pair or conveyer chains 5 which extend upwardly and pass over upper driving sprockets '7, and guiding idler sprockets 9 and 11. The driving sprockets '7 are driven by way or a belt drive 13 from a speed reducer 15 and associated motor 17.

The shaft 19 which supports the driving sprockets 7 also supports a gear 21 which meshes with a gear 23, the latter driving a pair of pullegs 25 at a higher angular velocity than the angular velocity of said sprockets '7. Belts 2'1 pass over the pulleys 25, behind idlers 29 and over lower pulleys 31.

Said belts 27 have reaches 33 which are parallel to the travel of the chains 5 and spaced from the right-handreach 01 said chains 9. distance only slightly greater than the extension oi. certain article carriers 35 attached to said chains 5 by means of supporting bars 41. The common linear velocity of the reaches 33 of said belts 27 is caused to be greater than the upward linear velocity of said carriers 35, this being arranged by providing a proper gear ratio between gears 21 and 23 and a proper ratio'oi sizes between the sprockets 7 and pulleys 25.. It is to be understood that the common upward velocity 01 the reaches 33 is only slightly greater than the upward velocity of the carriers 35.

Although not so shown in Fig. 1, the chains 5 and buckets 35 are enclosedby a casing 3'7, this being shown in the other figures. They are not shown in Fig. 1, for purposes of clarity in describing the moving parts of the system.

The chains 5 are directed by guides 39. Upon each cross bar 41 is fastened a plurality of the buckets 35. The right-hand reach 01' the chains 5 and cross bars 41 are backed by a suitable backing 43. The members of the pairs of buckets 35 9!! on the respective cross bars 41 are separated, one from. the other, by partitions 45; and endwise. enclosures 47 insure, when taken in connection with the reaches 33 of the belts 27, that each carrier shall be entirely enclosed 'in making its ascent. Y

In order to load the carriers 35, I provide separate, but parallel inlet chutes 49 having sloping bottoms 51 which, when a carrier 35 is oppositely located, is parallel to the sloping bottom Um 53 of the respective carrier (Fig. 1).

From the above it will be seen that it articles such as lasts or shoes of diiierent classes be continuously loaded into the chutes 49, these will gravitate towards the bottom or the respective chutes 49 and drop into the upwardly ascending carriers 35. The articles (lasts, for example) are picked up by the carriers one by one, because the spaces between the outlets of thebucket and no the back wall 43 are of the order of the width of one last.

If a last happens not to descend into the respective carrier 35 with the longitudinal axis of the last substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bucket (see Fig. 5) but becomes improperly positioned, as illustrated at 55 in Fig. 6, then as the bucket 35 arises, the extending last 55 is caused to engage a detector plate 57 fastened at the end of an oscillating lever 59 pivoted at 61 and carrying an extension 63.

When the said pivoted detector system swings, due to an extending last 55, the arm 63 is caused to contact with one end of a bell crank 65, the other arm of which bell crank 65 carries the mercury containing capsule 67 of a mercury switch 69. Thus the bell crank 65 is turned counterclockwise (Fig. 6) against the action of a return spring 71, the mercury at this time leaving and opening the contacts 73.

On the other hand, if a last is properly positioned, as shown in Fig. 5, the detector plate 5'? is not affected, and therefore the arm 63 is gravitationally maintained clear of the switch bell crank 65. At this time the spring '71 draws the bell crank 65 clockwise to cause the mercuryto cover the contacts '73 and this closes the circuit in which the contacts '73 are arranged.

The electric circuit above referred to is shown in numeral 75 in Fig. 1 and includes the driving motor 1'7. Thus it will be seen that when the detector 57 is contacted and the switch opened, that the motor drive is shut off, thus stopping the apparatus for clearance of the difficulty by an operator. Otherwise, the circuit '75 is closed and the carriers 35 ascend behind the deflector 57 with their respective lasts. They then travel upwardly behind the reaches 33 of the belts 27, said reaches moving linearly faster than said carriers 35 and thus ensuring that the lasts will not be jammed by any frictional resistance. There would be a tendency to jam if, instead of the moving reaches 33 of the belt 27, a stationary front wall were used to enclose the carriers 35.

As the ascending carriers 35 approach the upper sprockets '7, the chains 5 are caused to follow a course along the short, lateral reach 77. This overturns the carriers, as shown in Fig. 3, and causes them to project their lasts out of an opening 79 in the wall 37 (Fig. 5) and into a trough 81. The trough extends to a suitable point in which the lasts are to be delivered and preferably has a slope, such as shown in Fig. 3.

Said trough has been arranged on its bottom a reach 83 of chain which passes over idler sprockets 85 and driving sprockets 8'7, the latter being driven from a speed reducer 89 and motor 91. The return reach 93 of the chain is outside of the trough 81. The chains 83, 93 are provided with lugs 95- which ensure movement of the lasts down the trough 81 to the ends 97 thereof. The chains 83, 93 and the pusher means 95 thereon enter the chutes 81 by way of openings 82 and leave by similar openings 84. It will be understood that the latter openings may be cut in from the end of the chute, as shown, or spaced from the end thereof, as are the openings 82.

It will be understood that, although two trains of buckets 35 are shown as enclosed in separate compartments and receiving lasts from separate chutes 49 (see dividing plate 45), that any plurality may be used, or a single chain.

As the buckets 35 drop their load, they pass over the idler sprockets 9 and 11 and thus are directed downwardly to return over the lower sprockets 1 to ascending position adjacent the chutes 49.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objectsof the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A conveyer for lasts, shoes and the like comprising means for upwardly moving a series of carriers, said carriers having sloping bottoms, fixed means surrounding three sides of the region along which said carriers move, means for automatically supplying articles to the carriers from the side not enclosed by said fixed means, and moving means enclosing the fourth side of said region at points in respect to carrier movement which are subsequent to the loading point and automatic means located between said subsequent points and the loading points for stopping carrier movement whenever an article is improperly placed in its carrier.

2. A conveyer for lasts, shoes and the like comprising means for moving a series of carriers, said carriers having bottoms, fixed means surrounding three sides of the region along which said carrier is moved, means for automatically supplying articles to the conveyer to the carrier from the side not enclosed by said fixed means, and moving means inclosing the fourth side of said region at points in respect to carrier movement which are subsequent to the loading point, and automatic means located between said subsequent point and the loading point for stopping carrier movement whenever an article is improperly placed in its carrier.

PETER MATI'LER.

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